New police cell for Punjabi NRIs

NRIs can register complaints through public representatives, Indian embassies, telephone, fax and e-mail.

Earlier this year, the Punjabi film Assan Nu Maan Watanan Da, starring singer Harbhajan Mann, depicted the harassment faced by NRIs with property in Punjab. Now, Punjab police have set up a new NRI cell to assist these victims.

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NRIs will now be able to register complaints in person as well as through public representatives, Indian embassies, telephone, fax and e-mail.

Punjab police are already using a Canada-based Indian radio network to entertain and resolve NRI complaints. About 212 complaints heard so far; of these, 153 were resolved, with 38 being deemed false.

The majority of complaints are related to property issues, an official said, other complaints being fraudulence and matrimonial disputes. Some NRIs also complained of police harassment.

"Many immigrants buy land in areas that they belonged to. Others buy property in cities. Since they cannot be here all the time, they hand these properties over to relatives and friends," a police officer in Jalandhar said.

Almost 30 per cent of such purchases lead to disputes. The incidence of such disputes was higher in the Doab belt, comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala and Ludhiana districts.

Although an earlier attempt to set up a special cell to help NRIs had fallen through, police are determined to make the current experiment succeed.

The latest initiative was taken by state police chief AA Siddiqui. An inspector general has been appointed nodal officer for the cell.